Shawn Parker: Thanks for help with shoebox mission

November 30, 2010 11:09:00 AM

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I would like to express appreciation to our mayor, city council, and city department heads and employees for helping last Monday with the Samaritan''s Purse Operation Christmas Child shoebox collection effort. First Baptist Church serves as a Collection Center for this ministry and received over 18,500 shoeboxes this year from the surrounding region.

These boxes were loaded for delivery to the OCC processing center in Boone, NC, where they will be processed and sent to needy children around the world as an expression of Christian love. Needless to say, this is a very large effort which requires many volunteers and involves some hard work. Many of our city officials gave much of their day last Monday to help load over 65,000 pounds of shoeboxes. They did so with a servant''s heart and truly represented the city of Columbus as a community with a desire to make the world a better place!